ABEL’S SEED HOUSE, READING, PA. 
Vegetable Seeds 
CUCUMBERS 
straight “8” 
All-America Selections—Gold Medal 
In all of its various stages of development the cucumber finds a 
place on our table. Either raw or pickled it serves as an ingredient 
for salads and constitutes a tasty relish by itself. A fine crop may be 
easily grown wherever an openly exposed location of fairly rich soil 
is available. Planting should be delayed until all danger of frost is 
past. Soil for planting should be warm, fairly moist and loose. Seed 
must be covered about % inch deep. Plant in hills 3 by 5 feet apart, 
dropping 6 or 8 seeds to each hill. When 6 inches tall, thin to 3 
in a hill. 
Abel’s Stays Green or £lack Diamond. This is a dark green, medium¬ 
sized Cucumber of the white spine class. The fruits are 7 to 8 
inches long, cylindrical in shape, and a fine glossy green in color, 
They retain their fine color for a remarkably long time and on that 
account are very well adapted for shipping. The young fruits are 
desirable for small pickles and the mature fruits are very satisfac¬ 
tory in shape and size for packing. The variety is becoming popular 
with commercial growers and is proving a good home-garden sort. 
Pkt. 5c: oz. 20c; 141b. 50c: ^Ib. 85c; lb. $1.50; 2 lbs. $2.75; 
5 lbs. $6.50. 
Abel’s Banner Hybrid. We consider this the finest all around cucum¬ 
ber in existence. It has a long and straight, attractive shape, with a 
very rich green color, a fine lot of showy white spines. The color 
stays green for a week making it a fine shipper. Many Southern 
cucumber growers will use no other, which is indeed a fine testi¬ 
monial for it. Pkt. 5c; oz. 25c; 141b. 75c: %lb. $1.35; lb. $2.50. 
Abel’s Early Fortune. A disease-resistant variety of attractive ap¬ 
pearance. When fruits are fully ^own they measure 9 inches 
long and 2% inches thick. Flesh is pure white and has a firm 
crisp texture. Juicy and refreshing. Pkt. 5c; oz. 20c: 141b. 50c; 
1415. 75c: lb. $1.25; 2 lbs. $2.30; 5 lbs. $5.50. 
A. B. C. Cucumber. This is posi¬ 
tively a new stock of Cucumber 
which we are offering and not a 
renamed variety, not an old va¬ 
riety remodeled. The grower of 
this variety has spent six years 
in developing this extraordinary 
strain and have been able to place 
small quantities of seed for test 
with various critical Cucumber 
growers. In every case they re¬ 
port that it is the finest they have 
ever seen. The vine in a good 
stock of Cucumber must be robust 
and resistant to disease. Cucum¬ 
ber A. B. C. will produce an 
abundance of fruit 10 inches long, 
not quite as thick as a great many 
other stocks, they will hold their 
greenness longer than any type 
we ever handled. The time of 
maturity is 60 days. We are 
very proud of A. B. C. Cucumber 
and suggest making it a point this coming season to give it a 
trial. Our supply of this seed for the next several years will be 
limited on account of the great demand and the limited amount 
available. Pkt. 10c; y20z. 15c; oz. 25c; 141b. 75c; i/zlb. $1.25; 
lb. $2.00. 
Straight “8.” An attractive long straight cylindrical, fruits 
about 8 inches long and 1 % inches in diameter. Ideal shipper 
as well as a desirable home or market garden variety. Pkt. 5c; 
oz. 20c; 141b. 60c; l^lb. 85c: lb. $1.50; 2 lbs. $2.75. 
Arlington White Spine. The Cucumbers are very regular in outline, 
averaging 7 to 8 in. long, straight and of a rich green color. Pkt. 
5c: oz. 20c: %lb. 50c: l/zlb. 75c: lb. $1.25; 2 lbs., $2.30; 5 lbs. 
$5.50. 
Early Jersey. Fruits are of a rich dark green color and average from 
4 to 5 inches long. Fine for producing small pickles. Pkt. 5c; 
oz. 20c: %lb. 50c; l^lb. 75c: lb. $1.25; 2 lbs. $2.30; 5 lbs. $5.50. 
London Long Green. Young fruit makes fine pickles. Skin rich green; 
flesh solid, crisp and very good quality. Pkt. 5c: oz. 20c; i4,lb. 65c: 
1/2 lb. $1.00; lb. $1.75. 
Davis Perfect. Long, even fruits of fine form with intensely dark, rich 
green skin. Its solid white flesh is very good for slicing. Pkt. Sc 
oz. 20c; i^lb. 50c; i^lb. 75c; lb. $1.25; 2 lbs. $2.30. 
Everbearing. Early, prolific variety, with fruits rich dark green, aver¬ 
aging 4 to 5 inches in length by 1inches in diameter. Pkt. 5c • 
oz. 20c; %lb. 50c: Vzlb. 75c: lb. $1.25; 2 lbs. $2.30. 
Early Green Cluster. Fruits slender and most desirable for pickling. 
Very prolific and set in clusters of two and three. If fruits are kept 
gathered the vines will continue long in bearing. Pkt. 5c; oz. 20c: 
Vilh. 50c: Vzlb. 75c: lb. $1.25; 2 lbs. $2.30; 5 lbs. $5.50. 
Extra-early Green Prolific (Boston Pickling). Fruits average 4 to 5 
inches in length when large enough for slicing and are of excellent 
quality. Used chiefly for producing medium-sized pickles. Pkt 5c • 
oz 20c ; 141b. 50c: Vs lb. 75c; lb. $1.25; 2 lbs. $2.30; 5 lbs. $5.5o’. 
West India Gherkin. Small, suitable for pickling, borne most prolifl 
cally on vigorous vines, Pkt. 5c; oz. 20c; y,lb. 65c; i^lb $100’ 
lb. $1.75. ■ ’ 
White Wonder. Popular as a novelty, on account of its color. Fruits 
weigh 2 pounds. White at all stages of growth, produced in clusters 
chunky with round ends. Length of fruit 7 to 71/2 inches, diameter 
of fruit 214 inches. From planting to picking, 60 days Pkt 5c- 
oz. 20c; 141b. 50c; %lb. 80c; lb. $1.35. 
Page twenty-two 
A. B. C. Cucumber 
EGGPLANT 
This is a semi-tropical plant which requires continuous warm 
weather for best results. The seed germinates slowly and should 
be started in a hot bed. The plants may be set out in the open 
ground when 2 inches tall if continued warm weather is in prospect. 
Space the plants 214 to 3 feet apart. Young plants should be shaded 
from hot sun and sprayed with Paris Green as a protection from po¬ 
tato bugs. 
Black Beauty. Fully 10 days earlier than Improved New York Spine¬ 
less. Healthy grower and large fruit. Pkt. 5c: 14oz. 25c; oz. 40c; 
141b. $1.20; y2lb. $2.00; lb. $3.75. 
Extra Early Long Purple. A very early and productive variety with 
fruit eight inches long and about 214 inches thick. The color is 
very dark purple, almost black, and very smooth. It is difficult 
to find a good strain of this variety, and we have been very for¬ 
tunate in obtaining our stock. It has pleased the most critical 
market gardening trade. Pkt. 10c; 14oz. 25c; oz. 40c; 141b. $1.20; 
14 lb. $2.00; lb. $3.75. 
Improved New York Spineless. Quite free from spines. Fruit of large 
size and perfect form. Two weeks earlier than the old variety. 
Pkt. 5c; 14 oz. 25c; oz. 40c; 14 lb. $1.20; 14 lb. $2.00; lb. $3.75. 
ENDIVE 
One ounce of seed will sow ISO feet of drill 
For early use sow about April 15th; for later supply sow in June 
or July in rows 14 to 20 inches apart and when well started thin the 
plants to 1 foot apart. When nearly full-grown tie the outer leaves 
together over the center in order to blanch the heart of the plant. 
By covering fresh plants every few days a succession may be main¬ 
tained. Endive for winter use may be had by making 2 or 3 suc¬ 
cessive plantings at intervals of a week or 10 days during July. 
Just before killing frosts are due in the fall dig the plants, taking 
plenty of soil with the roots. Store in the cellar, packing the plants 
closely together and keep as dark as practicable. The plants must 
be harvested very carefully to avoid bruising the leaves and shaking 
the soil from the roots. When stored this way the plants will be 
self-blanching and of finer quality than when tied up and blanched 
out of doors. By arranging the storage space so that the earlier 
plantings can be used first, a supply can be provided until nearly 
spring. 
Batavia Full Heart 
All-America Selections—Award 
of Merit 
® Bata-vla Full Heart Broad Leaved—Escarole. (90-95 days.) One 
of the best varieties for salads. Leaves of upright growth, broad, 
more or less twisted and waved, bright deep green, with a nearly 
white midrib. Inner leaves form a fair head which blanches a 
creamy white. Pkt. 5c: oz. 10c; 14 oz. 40c: 14 oz. 70c; lb. $1.25. 
Green Curled. Hardy. Leaves dark green, tender. Pkt. 5c: oz. 10c; 
141b. 35c: 141b. 60c; lb. $1.10. 
FENNEL 
Florence Fennel—Finnocchlo or Sweet Anise—Valuable for home and 
market garden and for shipping. Plants 30 to 36 inches tall with 
broad overlapping leaf stalks forming a bulb-like enlargement at 
the base of the stem. This bulb, frequently used as celery, is sweet 
and aromatic. Pkt. 10c; oz. 20c; 141b. 75c. 
KALE or BORECOLE 
This is a species of the cabbage family and is extensively 
grown for greens, especially in the South. Most varieties 
have heavy, densely curled foliage of beautiful green and 
the dwarf varieties are desirable for ornamental garden use. 
The culture is practically the same as that of late cabbage 
but as the plants will withstand several degrees of frost they 
can be allowed to grow late into the fall. They are regarded 
by many as at their best after the first heavy frosts. 
Dwarf-curled Scotch Kale. This is the variety usually sown in the 
fall for spring markte. It is low-growing with finelv curled leaves 
of deep green. Pkt. 5c; oz. 15c; i,41b. 40c; i/41b. OOc; lb. 95c. 
